Bilstein Shocks

Ustamiata · 03-04-2013, 03:01 PM

Our 2007 Adventurer has 60K miles on it, and I noticed that the shock bushings are cracked. I'm thinking that the shocks are about due for replacement. Question: As I'm considering Bilsteins, I'm open to any suggestions you all might have, pro or con. I'm thinking I might be able to replace them myself. Anyone have experience in this?
Thanks for you comments!

palehorse89 · 03-04-2013, 03:15 PM

You are going to hear and read a lot of opinions on this subject, Did you do a search on here to study up on this a bit? I can tell you that I had Bilsteins on my Coach and 2 years ago when studying up on how to maybe improve my ride, I spent the money and bought Koni's for it. They cost quite a bit more than other shocks, but after the install I found them to be worth the money and more. What a big difference in the ride. SO...... Good luck and yes it is a job you can do if you do a little weekend wrench-in around your house without to much trouble. Good luck

Ustamiata · 03-04-2013, 03:30 PM

I did do a search in the Winnebago Forum -- but all the info I found was several years old.

palehorse89 · 03-04-2013, 03:34 PM

Root through these pages http://www.irv2.com/forums/search.php?searchid=4012658 and you will find some reading on your question while waiting for more reply's...

Pepper2 · 03-04-2013, 03:47 PM

Put Bilsteins on our Sightseer. The ride is great. Had them installed, so I can't help you on the installation part of your question.

milasman · 03-04-2013, 03:48 PM

It is not to bad of a job providing you have the ability to stretch out the suspension, otherwise you have to compress the shock while trying to put bottom bolts in.

palehorse89 · 03-04-2013, 03:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by milasman

It is not to bad of a job providing you have the ability to stretch out the suspension, otherwise you have to compress the shock while trying to put bottom bolts in.

Most of today's shocks have ties on them holding them a mid range and after installed cut them loose

milasman · 03-04-2013, 04:01 PM

Yep, that would have saved me from jacking up my motor home, however with a leveling system it is pretty easy. I put Bilsteins on and they had no such device installed.

garykk · 03-04-2013, 07:02 PM

Yes , I would say the shocks are due at 60k. Bilstein and Koni are the most popular shocks for MHs both have their fans and foes.

bachler · 03-05-2013, 11:40 AM

I put a set Of Billstiens On our vECTRA. aFTER 100 MILES i TOOK THEM BACK OFF put the stock back on.. Much better ;; Bill. ????

Ralph A · 04-23-2013, 06:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bachler

I put a set Of Billstiens On our vECTRA. aFTER 100 MILES i TOOK THEM BACK OFF put the stock back on.. Much better ;; Bill. ????

Bill,
Since I'm anticipating replacing my current stock shocks (Sachs) with 78000 miles on them with a set Koni shocks I'm interested in hearing more about your experience. My 2005 Horizon has ZF IFS and my only complaint is a relatively small pot-hole is tooth jarring. Feels like the suspension is bottoming out. I'm thinking Koni Adjustable on the front and Koni FSD on the rear.
Ralph

Pusherman · 04-23-2013, 07:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ralph A

Bill,
Since I'm anticipating replacing my current stock shocks (Sachs) with 78000 miles on them with a set Koni shocks I'm interested in hearing more about your experience. My 2005 Horizon has ZF IFS and my only complaint is a relatively small pot-hole is tooth jarring. Feels like the suspension is bottoming out. I'm thinking Koni Adjustable on the front and Koni FSD on the rear.
Ralph

Hi Ralph,

If you use the search function on this forum, you will get a lot of responses on people's preferences between Freightliner's OEM shocks (Sachs), Bilsteins, and Koni's. As you know, I'm a Koni fan. Got them on my coach, and they perform great.

Good luck at Gaffney. Looking forward to seeing you in June.

Don

KSCRUDE · 04-23-2013, 07:19 PM

My couch came with Bilstein shocks. One word, JUNK. Might make a door stop or something. After 1,000 miles of torture I put on a set of koni shocks. All the difference in the world and worth 4 times as much as the bilsteins. And they only cost maybe twice as much. The only reason coach builders use them is they are the cheapest junk they can buy, so that's what their bean counters tell them to do.

EngineerMike · 04-23-2013, 07:37 PM

Ralph- you might want to consider King shocks for the front & whatever for the rear. Kings are way spendy but the largest I know of & get great reviews; lifetime warranty that is actually honored so I hear.

I reshocked w/FSD's on the front, oem Bilsteins on rear. Made a big difference (12,000lbs actual weight on front loaded), but I'd prefer more damping still, and I'm sure the big difference is that the Bilsteins were shot after 12k miles. Thinking of Kings for front. I don't notice any issues from the rear, so haven't addressed it, although I have a pair of FSD's setting in the garage waiting for rear install.

Rv artisan · 04-23-2013, 08:11 PM

My 2006 Thor Hurricane is a great ride except when hitting more than one pothole at once.Then it's shake, rattle and roll,If there's a car beside me,he's in danger.Is this a fairly normal experience with a class A( like the dealership I bought it form said),Will new shocks all around the answer?All the shocks are looking old.The steering stabilizer leaked out while in storage,if that's any indication about the others.Still the rest of the ride is good.What worrys me is (besides the danger of a collision)that something is going to loosen up because of it.

TeJay · 05-02-2013, 06:26 PM

I don' think I'd condemn Bilstein shocks or call them all junk or cheap. Yes everybody is entitled to their opinion but there are many who really like how they perform on their particular application. They can't all be wrong. Do a little studying as to how shocks work. They can be designed to dampen in both directions and the valving can be set to work by varying degrees in each direction. Just because they didn't work for one does not imply that they won't work for another. Also there are many other factors to consider that will figure in on the overall ride quality and performance. Changing to a different shock when the tire pressure is set to 100 LBS. and not seeing any improvement is no reason to condemn the shock. So mant times on these forums a person asks a question and many, many suggest a fix that worked for them. Their coach might have been different in many ways and that's why it worked for them. Once in awhile somebody will suggest that they start checking things to determine exactly what part or system may be at fault. To often the OP, because they don't have the necessary diagnostic background will start throwing $$$$ and parts to fix a problem when they have yet determined exactly what part(s) to throw.

The springs suspend the coaches weight and the shocks dampen the effects of the coaches vertical movement as the result of road forces. Study the design aspects of a particular shock to determine if it's what you want out of a shock. Check with the tech department to see if you can get particular design parameters of a shock. Maybe if they don't work they might allow you to exchange them for something else. If not find another supplier. I put Bilsteins on a 1999 F-53 and they worked great. I understand that Winnebago or Ford puts Bilsteins under all of their F-53 chassis. I'm not going to expect my new coach 2014 to ride exactly as the 99 did or that the Bilsteins will work. I will give them a chance and we'll see. However I will check all aspects of the coaches suspension system and make changes as I see fit. No vehicle built for the general public is going to have the best of everything installed from the factory. There will always be ways to improve stuff on these MH's. That's part of the fun of owning them.
JMTCW
TeJay